this is one of those oversized books the library keeps around on tables, just the right height for toddlers to peruse. :) it is beautifully drawn sketches and watercolors of a typical english manor farm in approximately 1900. (illustrator's grandfather's youth, in other words.) amazing, lovely drawings with unobtrusive informational tidbits sprinkled throughout -- what life was like, how the cold pantry worked, what the big draft horses did. if you ever see this one lying around, set aside a few minutes to enjoy it!